There are presently many spinal brace devices, postural support garments and wearable devices that aid the movement and transportation of infirmed persons. Presently, these devices are generally categorized as spinal orthoses. Some orthoses are custom made, in a standard manufacturing process where a cast is made of the wearers' trunks. An orthosis is then molded from this casting. This process is time consuming and costly. Spinal orthoses are used to treat a variety of skeletal conditions associated with the skeletal structure, including osteoporosis, spinal deformities, injury and osteoporosis by applying tensile and compressive forces to selected anatomy along the wearer's spine, abdomen, chest and torso. Spinal orthoses include Cervical Orthoses, thoracic lumbar sacral orthosis, and cervical thoracic lumbar sacral orthosis. These orthosis are designed to provide support and immobilization of the spinal regions that they enclose. There are different types of spinal orthoses typically categorized by the vertebral level intended for treatment. Many persons who are of lower income are deprived of the benefit of such orthoses because of the high cost. Persons who do have access to orthoses chose not to participate in many sporting or rehabilitative activities, which may improve their health, because of the high rigidity of the current orthoses. The rigidity prevents freedom of movement of the spine to comfortably and efficiently perform demanding and simple physical activities including transition from standing to seating.
Paraplegics, children born with spinal irregularities, the aging and persons with back injuries have a need for postural support and stabilization devices that allow them to participate in basic activities for daily living. Persons who perform physically strenuous and intensive activities due to their occupations and/or for recreational activities also need devices that transfer load away from the spine and provide truncal stability and support to prevent injury to the torso from occurring. Individuals who must remain seated for extended periods of time often develop back strain or pain. Proper posture support for these individuals can aid in relief of this strain. The development of a flexible spinal device that prevents back injury and assists in providing core stability to the trunk is currently very limited. There are many factors that contribute to back injury, such as overloading, twisting and jerking.
As yet, very little development has taken place in the area of spinal exoskeletons and active spinal orthoses intended to reduce pain of an infirmed person, rehabilitate an individual and prevent back injury from occurring during strenuous activities. There is a need to provide a spinal orthosis that is adjustable to fit persons of different sizes, provides an adjustable fit for a wearer over time, and yet provides superior ability for the device to function as an active orthosis. There is a need to provide a spinal orthosis that is relatively inexpensive, yet provides a comfortable and durable solution for the wearer. There is also a need for the orthosis to be non-obtrusive and wearable as an under-garment by a user.